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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. field — a subject
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. field — farmland
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — hasty
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com